Making Granola

I ran out of granola yesterday. Instead of buying more, I decided to use that box of oatmeal that no one eats to make some for myself. This recipe is loosely based off the the one from Chow.com.

Granola

- 2 1/2 C Rolled oats

- 1/2 C Sliced almonds

- 3 Tbsp sugar

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Add:

- 1/3 C Honey/molasses mixture

- 1/4 C canola oil

Stir everything together. Spread evenly on a large baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 min, stirring once or twice. When you pull the granola out of the oven, stir it a bit as it cools, or you'll be left with a large, solid sheet of granola. When it's cooled add:

- 1/2 C dried cranberries.

Store in an air-tight container.

Chicken and Potatoes

Wow. I can't remember the last time I just threw something together and it was this fucking delicious. I mean, sure, when you just wing it, it usually tastes good, but this takes it to a whole new level. I didn't measure anything, so all of the measurements listed here are estimates.

Chicken and Potatoes

1 chicken breast (boneless, skinless)

1/2 Tbsp salt

1/2 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning

- With a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken breast to about 1/2 inch thick (lacking a meat tenderizer, a juggling club works surprisingly well).

- Rub both sides of the breast with salt and Old Bay. Put chicken in the fridge for half an hour.

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1/4 cup white onion, diced

2 Tbsp butter

1 potato, thinly sliced

1/3 cup chicken stock (or broth)

1 Tbsp chicken fat (schmaltz)

2 Tbsp flour

- In a large skillet, melt 1 1/2 Tbsp butter on medium heat.

- Toss in garlic and onion. Cook until onion is translucent and just starting to brown.

- Increase heat to high. Add potatoes, tossing to brown them evenly.

- Pull chicken out of fridge, rinse salt off, pat dry with paper towels.

- Clear a space in the skillet. Add lat bit of butter and chicken. Brown chicken on both sides.

- Add broth, reduce heat to low, let everything simmer for 5-10 min, until chicken and potatoes are cooked.

- In a separate pan, melt schmaltz and slowly add flour to create a roux. Add this to the other pan to thicken the stock into a thick sauce.

- Empty the entire pan onto a plate, accompany with a light salad.

I dare you not to lick your plate clean.

Pickled Eggs

This summer I developed a taste for pickled eggs after discovering them at Tandem Ciders. The recipe that they use calls for five dozen eggs, so I had to cut it down to a reasonable size. Here is the slimmed down version of the recipe.

Pickled Eggs

10 hard-boiled eggs

2/3 cup cider vinegar

2/3 cup white vinegar

4 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pickling spices

- Hard-boil the eggs, let them cool, peel them and place them in a quart jar.

- In a sauce pan, add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices. Stir on a low heat until sugar and salt are dissolved.

- Pour vinegar into jar on top of the eggs. Put the lid on the jar.

And that's it! Let the eggs sit for at least two weeks, and you're ready to go.

Hummus sans tahini

Last night, I whipped up a batch of pitas while watching Dead Snow (amazing Norwegian zombie movie). While pitas and zombies are good, what a pita really needs is humus. The Joy of Cooking (my culinary bible) has only one recipe, and that calls for tahini, which I am sadly out of. So I turned to the 'net to find a tahini-free recipe. What follows is a hybrid of the Joy version and some recipes that I found on the 'net.

Hummus

1 can (15 oz) chick peas, rinsed and drained

2 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp cumin

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

- Put chick peas, garlic, lemon juice and cumin in a food processor. Mix on low speed.

- Slowly add olive oil until proper consistency is achieved (may be slightly less or more than 1/3 cup).

- Add salt and pepper to taste.

Now, with three cloves of garlic, the garlic is very strong. If you're not a fan I recommend using only one or two cloves. Enjoy!

Recipe: Double Chocolate Truffles

This recipe is pretty damn easy and, depending on whether you go with brand names or not, fairly inexpensive. During the winter time you can just as easily cool the chocolate by sticking it on the porch or patio for a bit.

Software:
-2.5 packages (20 squares) of semi-sweet baking chocolate, divided
-1 package (8 ounces) of cream cheese, softened
-decorations such as sprinkles, nuts, chocolate shavings (optional)

Hardware:
-Small/Medium Pot
-Mixer
-Medium/Large mixing bowl
-Baking Sheets
-Wax Paper
-Fork/ fondue fork/ kebab stick

Procedure:
In the mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until creamy. Melt 8 of the chocolate squares until consistently smooth (you can use the microwave for this but I don't recommend it). Blend the melted chocolate into the cream cheese. Refrigerate until firm. Prepare the baking sheets by covering them with wax paper.

When the mixture is firm, use your hands to shape it into bite-sized balls. Place the balls on the paper-covered baking sheets. (Your hands will get very chocolatey, just so you know.)

Melt the remaining chocolate. You can use a fork to dip the truffles, though I find this to be difficult and I frequently drop them in the pot (bad news!), alternatively you can spear the truffles with the fondue fork or kebab stick (or even toothpicks) and dip them that way, then use a fork to gently remove the tool. After dipping, place the truffles back on the baking sheet, then decorate. Refrigerate for one hour, then serve.

I defy you to eat only one of these.

Recipe: 'On the Fly' Rye

Baking is a science. Or is it? Conventional wisdom dictates that baking is a precise and exact science, and that you can very quickly and easily mess it up. Lacking the ingredients for my usual bread (whole wheat), I decided to tempt fate and the bread gods by improvising. No, I did not add my own little twist to an existing recipe. I made up my own recipe! On the fly (hence the name)!

I made up this recipe last week pretty much as I was making it, writing things down as I added them. It's loosely based off of several other bread recipes (and more importantly, the ratios between the ingredients). To my surprise, it totally worked out. And, just to be sure, I made several more loaves to make sure that the recipe was actually successful before posting it here.

'On the Fly' Rye

3/4 cup warm (105° F) water
1/2 Tbsp. yeast
1 cup rye flour
2 1/4 cups bread flour
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup milk

- Mix water and yeast. Let sit for 3-5 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix both flours, sugar and salt. Add in the liquid ingredients (including the yeast/water mixture).
- Turn dough onto a well floured surface. Knead for AT LEAST 5 minutes (I try to go for 10, but I'm lazy). Dough should be just slightly sticky. If too dry, add water; Too wet, add more flour.
- Put dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Punch down dough and shape into a loaf (or place it in a loaf pan). Let it rise for 20 minutes.
- Slash the top of the loaf with a sharp knife several times. Bake at 400° F for 30 minutes, or untill the bread is golden-brown and and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Let the bread cool before eating.

Makes 1 loaf.

If I remember to take photographs next time I bake this, I'll put them up.

Variations on a Theme

So, I went into the kitchen planning to make my 'fucking good' (as once reviewed) sugar cookies so that I could ice them and do various things with them for christmas (i.e. put them in stockings, give them to friends, serve them at parties). But, when I pulled up the recipe, it turned out I was missing a couple of minor ingredients. So, I decided to improv and change the recipe a bit. What follows is the original recipe and the new one:

Michelle's 'Fucking Good' Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup margarine or butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cream of tartar
granulated sugar
cinnamon

Mix powdered sugar, margarine, egg, vanilla and almond extract. Mix in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Heat oevn to 375 degrees. Divide dough into halves. Roll each half 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Cut into shapes.

Sprinkle with granulated sugar; place on lightly greased sheet. Bake until edges are light brown, 7 to 8 minutes.

(If using self-rising flour omit baking soda and cream of tartar)

So that recipe was a minor variation on a Betty Crocker recipe from the red 1959 cookbook. Here's what I did tonight.


Michelle's Holiday Cookies

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup shortening (butter flavored)
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of honey
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

Mix flour, sugar, shortening, vanilla, egg and honey in large bowl until mixture is consistent (it will look like a bunch of pea-sized balls). Add Baking Soda, Cinnamon and Nutmeg and mix. Mold dough into a ball, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably no more than 24. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Separate dough into manageable chunks, roll out (3/16" thick) and cut shapes. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on the thickness and size of your cookies. Ice with whatever frosting you choose.

So it's in the fridge tonight and I plan to bake them tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you know how they turn out!

Basic Bread

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces* flour (bread or all-purpose), plus extra for shaping
• 1 teaspoon rapid rise yeast
• 2 teaspoons honey (or sugar)
• 10 ounces bottled or filtered** water
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  

Functional:

• 2 quarts hot water
• Vegetable oil, for greasing the rising container

*Volume is a fairly inaccurate method of measuring flour. Food scales are cheap, but hard to find in some areas. We have a chart of flour weights if you need the conversions.

**Tap water tends to contain chemicals (such as fluoride) that work against things like yeast. Bottled or filtered water, therefore, works best. However, tap water will work in a pinch.


Steps:

1. Combine 5 ounces of the flour, 1/4 teaspoon of the yeast, all of the honey, and all of the bottled water in a straight-sided container; cover loosely and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours (overnight is best).

   Why do we do this? Well, yeast does two things for bread: it leavens the bread and it adds flavor/texture to the bread. The problem is that to properly leaven the bread, yeast needs to reproduce quickly (to produce the gasses inside the bread), and to provide the proper flavor/texture it needs to reproduce slowly. The way around this is to make the pre-ferment or "sponge." By putting the yeasty mixture into the refrigerator, you slow down the fermentation process. This lets the dough absorb some of the gasses let off by the yeast (yielding a softer dough later on) and gives the bread an aged flavor. (You may think that "aged" doesn't sound good for bread, but it is.) And lastly, the extra time and hydration helps to form the gluten strands that are so very important for bread dough.

2. Place the remaining 11 ounces of flour, remaining yeast, and all the salt into a large bowl, and add the pre-ferment from the refrigerator. Using a wooden spoon, mix just until it comes together. Cover the dough in the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10-20 minutes. After 10-20 minutes, hand-knead the dough until you are able to gently pull the dough into a thin sheet that light will pass through. The dough will be sticky, but not so sticky that you can't handle it.
3. Pour one quart of the hot water into a shallow pan and place on the bottom rack of your oven. A glass baking dish works well.
4. Grease the inside of a large straight-sided container with the vegetable oil. Place the dough ball into the container and set on the rack above the pan of water. Allow to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 to 2 hours.

   The hot water does two things: It warms the dough to let it rise faster and it keeps the air inside the oven moist, keeping the dough from forming a dry skin on top.

5. Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it onto a counter top, lightly dust your hands with flour, and press the dough out with your knuckles; then fold 1 side in towards the middle of the mass and then the other, as if you were making a tri-fold wallet. Repeat the folding a second time. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for another 10 minutes.
6. Flatten the dough again with your knuckles and then fold the dough in onto itself, like you are shaping something that looks like a jellyfish. Turn the dough over and squeeze the bottom together so that the top surface of the dough is smooth.
7. Place the dough back onto the counter and begin to roll gently between your hands. Do not grab the dough but allow it to move gently back and forth between your hands, moving in a circular motion. The point of this is to tighten up the skin of the doughball as much as possible.
8. Move the dough ball to a pizza peel or a cookie sheet. Cover with the kitchen towel and allow to bench proof for 1 hour, or until you poke the dough and it quickly fills back in where you poked it.

   If you experience trouble removing the dough from a cookie sheet, a sprinkling of cornmeal on the sheet should do the trick.

9. Place an unglazed terra cotta dish upside down into the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Be sure to put the dish into the cold oven. Terra cotta needs to heat and cool slowly and evenly or else it will crack. To ensure a properly pre-heated oven, turn it on while you let the dough bench proof for the final hour.

   The point of the dish is that terra cotta is made of earth. While metal conducts heat, earth will absorb and radiate heat. The physics behind the amount, rate, and direction of the heat need not be fully understood to appreciate that it helps your bread come out right. Also, don't worry if you don't own a terra cotta dish; almost any ceramic dish-pie, casserole, quiche, etc.--will work just fine.
   

10. Gently slash the top surface of the dough ball in several places, approximately 1/3 to 1/2-inch deep.

    The slashes let the bread rise one last time in a situation where it can't expand in all directions, and the water provides steam that will prevent the crust from forming too quickly. Be creative. Making bread is an art. Try Roman or traditional Chinese/Japanese numerals. If you're making eight loaves, slash them to look like Lucky Charms.
    

11. Add more of the hot water to the shallow pan if it has evaporated. Slide the bread onto the terra cotta dish in the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes (This can vary in practice depending on how hot and what size your oven is. Most are fine at about 50 minutes. Ideally, you should remove the bread once it has has reached an internal temperature of 205-210°F. If you have baking/cooking thermometer that measures that high and is safe to use in the oven, use it. If you're not sure, go by time.) Remove to a cooling rack and allow to sit for 30 minutes before slicing.

    The idea behind the water is that while it bakes it will expand and the crust will form. If the crust forms a shell, it will make the bread too dense.

[Adapted from a wikiHow article]